Walter’s homily tracks the straightforward thread through the morning’s lectionary readings. In order to live the “life that really is life,” we need to turn from our society’s love of money and turn toward the contentment that devotion makes possible.
Jess invites us to imaginatively join her sitting on a rock in the sunshine next to a lake as she shares some of the things she’s been thinking about this summer, and, in doing so, she encourages us to notice the world around us and to continue the act of living amidst all that tries to separate us from life and each other.
Our Easter Sunday service wove together music, liturgy, lectionary readings, personal “life out of death” stories from three beloved members of our community – Bill, Lorna, and Moriah – and a homily from Rachael. The recording begins with the three “witnesses” and is followed by Rachael’s invitation to sit with the improbability of the resurrection of Jesus, allowing it to be less of a provable certainty and more of a miraculous mystery – that calls to us and shapes our own lived experience of loss and renewal.
Jess Williams reflects on home and the longings of the heart that led her to St. Stephen. She talks about loving her heart for leading her well, and how her (sometimes messy!) life, and belonging to this community is teaching her to let go of perfectionism (fear!) and trust that our belovedness has nothing to do with what we are able to achieve or perform.
Our well-being benefits greatly from healthy mutually beneficial relationships. In this conversation Marilyn and Virginia explore knowing what you need from connection and thoughts on how to intentionally work on getting our needs for community met.
Lorna introduces the practice of praying for others as another form of listening – to God and others. Later, Walter interviews Tracy Williams and Alex Henderson who have been involved in some prayer teams at SCC in past years.
Continuing our 2nd Breakfast theme that centres on listening, Teena interviews Rick Coates and Andre Lefebvre, asking how listening to music has impacted their lives.
Walter shares how it’s possible to settle our troubled hearts if we find our refuge – and how one of his has been the Celtic Liturgy service. But there are so many more possible!
Rachael asks how we do justice to the complexity of life in the way we hear this Sunday’s lectionary Bible readings and their visions of “Life In All Its Fullness,” and how we might live into these visions while reconciling them with “Life As It Really Is.”
In this Easter Homily, Jess Williams reflects on how a faith that centres on resurrection requires us to face the reality of death and all its anguish. Looking at Jesus’ teaching in John 12:25-27, she suggests that to walk in Jesus’ steps is to “let go of life as it is, reckless in your love” and willing to lose it all.